Catherine

Feng Shui Conversations – Moving House

Recently, friends have been moving out of their old place and in to a new space. It is a time to say goodbye to past experiences and move forward to welcome the new. Most of us move due to a new stage in life, job or due to unforeseen events. So it is important in Feng Shui practice, to thank your home, let go of what happened and embrace your next living environment. Say Goodbye This is the opportunity to declutter and to sell or donate possessions. I always recommend those who are moving on from the past, to

Catherine2023-08-23T10:07:39+00:00September 8th, 2019|Feng Shui|Comments Off

Why We Chose a Small Apartment

Like most people, I love the idea of a big house with lovely open space but we seem to fill it with more 'stuff'! A chic New York one-bedroom apartment for five years was the game-changer as they say in the US. We had to give away lovely furniture and decor to be able to accommodate what we had. Fast forward, and we bought a larger two-bedroom German apartment and for a while, loved the room to move. After two years, it felt as if we were rattling around the place and starting to fill it with things again.

Catherine2019-09-08T09:26:44+00:00September 8th, 2019|Interiors|Comments Off

Autumn Interiors

Next week's weather is autumnal - when a strange melancholy arrives as leaves drop and the sun weakens as if apologising for losing interest. Winter coats are appearing in store window displays accompanied by socks, boots, hats and gloves. Most of us are crying ... Nooooo! Not being a fan of the dark and damp, I seek to create what the English call, a 'cosy' interior atmosphere or the Germans call 'bequem'. This doesn't mean you have to go for deep browns and greens, unless you love them and also if they are important according to Feng Shui practice -

Catherine2019-09-01T13:43:21+00:00September 1st, 2019|Interiors|Comments Off

Feng Shui Conversations – Missing Sectors

If you have read earlier posts, you know that you place the Bagua map over your floor plan with the Career Sector wall over your main entrance and placed as if you were entering that space. This means that your front door - an important Feng Shui factor, will either be in Inner Knowledge or Career or the Travel and Helpful People sectors. Don't forget balconies and gardens as part of the overall grid of 9 sections. If you have a double storey place, you will need to orient the Bagua map from the entrance you step in to.

Catherine2023-08-08T06:22:12+00:00September 1st, 2019|Feng Shui|Comments Off

How to Bring Nature Into Your Home

Many of my friends have discussed the struggles the world is currently experiencing and know we are blessed to live in a peaceful country. We say we feel helpless and, like many, are unable to cope with the world out there and are retreating to manage our immediate place, our 'village'. At the same time, interior design and homeware stores highlight the trends of eco-products, recycling and bringing nature and organic aspects in to our homes to create a space of inner balance. Wood When I studied art, I saw a wonderful documentary asking a child to draw nature

Catherine2023-08-23T12:47:34+00:00August 25th, 2019|Feng Shui|Comments Off

Back to Nature

With the Amazon forests burning and the ice caps prematurely melting, we need to honour Mother Nature. I am trying to reduce my use of plastic - not easy and I think before I buy that t-shirt and recycle where I can. Considering that a fundamental rule of Feng Shui is to declutter, it is also about our throw-away society, something I have also been guilty of. One friend is teaching us about non-plastic alternatives, another about re-using fashion and avoiding non-biodegradable fabrics. It may seem like the latest fad but it aligns with the harmony of yin and

Catherine2019-08-25T08:59:11+00:00August 25th, 2019|Interiors|Comments Off

Moving in to a New Home

Congratulations, you are moving in! Getting the keys to a new space is a mixture of a sugar rush high and a tight bubble of anxiety. It is a new beginning and a chance to start another life chapter or to re-invent yourself. It doesn't matter if you are buying or renting, you need to enter the house or apartment the right way. It doesn't matter if you are freshly married, taking the next step and moving in with your partner or making that big life change, it can be overwhelming. Get Ready When moving, it is a great

Catherine2023-08-23T12:45:19+00:00August 16th, 2019|Feng Shui, Interiors|Comments Off

How To Use Patterns

I was in an interior design store, Maison du Monde, looking at the new autumn colours and I heard a woman admire the display, sigh and buy a neutral, beige cushion. Now I love soft beiges as they remind me of my favourite place, the beach. However, there is a touch of sand and there is dull, ordinary and neutral colour that just screams - practical! So let's look at where, why, how and when to use patterns. Size Matters When decorating, the size of the room needs to be considered as well as how much light is coming

Catherine2023-08-23T12:43:25+00:00August 11th, 2019|Interiors|Comments Off

Feng Shui Basics – Fire

So many song lyrics come to mind! 'We didn't start the fire', 'come on baby light my fire', 'a ring of fire', 'great balls of fire', 'can't start a fire without a spark' - I could go on but let's view the Fire element in Feng Shui. In its positive form it represents energy, action, love and passion. In its negative form, it can be seen as anger, aggression and too much heat. The key colours that partner with Fire are shades of red and purple. Other elements that partner with Fire - Wood feeds Fire, Fire nourishes Earth

Catherine2023-08-23T12:41:08+00:00August 10th, 2019|Feng Shui|Comments Off

A Flute of Champagne

I would prefer to live forever in perfect health, but if I must at some time leave this life, I would like to do so ensconced on a chaise longue, perfumed, wearing a velvet robe and pearl earrings, with a flute of Champagne beside me and having just discovered the answer to the last problem in a British cryptic crossword. Olivia de Havilland.

Catherine2023-08-23T12:39:31+00:00August 10th, 2019|Photo of the Week|Comments Off

About Catherine